Archive for the ‘Gardens to Visit’ Category

ACS SOUTHEAST REGION CONIFER REFERENCE GARDENS*

I hear people say that conifers won’t grow in the southeastern U.S. Wanta bet! 2016 marks the 8th year of the Reference Garden program sponsored by the American Confer Society (ACS)- Southeast Region. From Kentucky and Virginia south to Florida, 19 public gardens were now participating in the program. Two of the latest additions are Brookgreen […]

Curing Winter Blues… A Trip To The Philadelphia Flower Show

Since 1827, the Philadelphia Flower Show has been the world’s longest-running and largest indoor flower show. This 8 days flower show, from 11 March 2017 (Saturday) to 19 March 2017 (Sunday), is organized by Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS). The 8- day event features incredible large-scale floral displays, elaborate gardens, and creative floral arrangements. Over ¼ […]

Chanticleer Garden – A Garden For Ideas

                Chanticleer Garden is an estate and botanical gardens, that bills itself as a “pleasure garden”. Chanticleer is “a garden for ideas”. The property is located at 786 Church Road in Wayne Pennsylvania, approximately 30 minutes of Philadelphia. Chanticleer celebrated its 100 year centennial in 2013 as the […]

Twelve Days Of Christmas Showcase At Dallas Arboretum

                The Dallas Arboretum in Texas is hosting a festive holiday exposition: The Twelve Days at Christmas. It is an elaborate collection of 25-foot Victorian gazebos themed to “The Twelve Days at Christmas”. Each of 12 gazebos is comprised of  charming costumed characters and whimsical animals made famous […]

Kingwood Center In Mansfield, Ohio

Over the years Kingwood Center in Mansfield, Ohio (60 miles north of Columbus) has been a popular public gardens to visit. Formerly the home of Charles King, the 47 acre former estate garden has been open to the public since 1953. The former King home now houses Kingwood’s administrative offices and horticultural library. Kingwood is […]

Reference Conifer Gardens in the Southeastern U.S.

The American Conifer Society (ACS) supports public conifer gardens around the U.S.  Reference Gardens offer plant professionals and home gardeners an opportunity to evaluate conifers growing in a landscape or garden setting within their geographic region. You can compare the unique foliage colors, shapes, and growth habits which conifers offer. You can select conifer(s) which work as […]

Biltmore Estate and Gardens

  I have visited the Biltmore Estate on several occasions, but my May visit this year was special. I had the opportunity to interview Parker Andes, Biltmore’s Director of Horticulture, and Bill Alexander, Landscape and Forest Historian. Few properties match the overall grandeur of Biltmore Estate and Gardens in Asheville, North Carolina. Biltmore is a historical perspective of America over […]

Callaway Gardens

Perhaps, azaleas (Rhododendron spp.) offer the broadest color array of any shrub category in the spring garden. Very few public or private gardens display azaleas better than Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, GA. In late March, Jane and I enjoyed a 2-day visit at Callaway. We arrived to catch the early blooming azalea sequence and were not disappointed. […]